The visit of the Home Minister comes amid increased tensions in J&K due to the targeted killing of civilians.
Amit Shah’s visit comes as tensions in J&K rise due to the targeted killing of civilians; 11 people, including Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs, have been killed this month, causing panic among migrant workers and the Kashmiri Pandit community, some of whom have already fled.
Shah to inspect the security of J&K:
Home Minister Amit Shah presided over a meeting of the Unified Command to review the situation on the ground. He reportedly asked tough questions of the security and intelligence agencies operating in J&K.
According to media reports, the meeting included following up on agencies’ tasks during a Delhi meeting, not the month. According to sources, Mr Shah’s priority was to combat radicalization and infiltration. Mr Shah will also inaugurate a direct flight between Srinagar and Sharjah.
Other objectives of Shah’s visit to Jammu & Kashmir:
According to people familiar with the situation, the minister will address panchayat members and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in addition to holding security review meetings.
Sunil Sharma, the BJP leader in Jammu & Kashmir, stated that the party had been informed that Mr Shah would arrive in Srinagar on Saturday and then travel to Jammu. “He’ll go to Kashmir before going to New Delhi,” he explained.
The BJP leader went on to say that they had invited district presidents to one of Shah’s events as well. “(The) home minister will also attend a rally in Jammu,” he said on Thursday, after attending a party meeting on Shah’s visit.
This will be the Indian Home Minister’s first visit to the Union territory since the revocation of Article 370, which granted the former state special status, on August 05, 2019. He had last visited Jammu & Kashmir in June 2019 following BJP’s coming into power at the Centre for a second term.
Measures are taken to tighten the security:
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to review the implementation of development schemes in the region during his visit, which is part of the Centre’s ongoing outreach campaign. In the national capital, he met with lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and senior security officials to review the situation in Jammu & Kashmir.
In light of Mr Shah’s visit, security measures have been tightened throughout the Valley, with forces increasing checking and frisking activities, particularly in Srinagar.
Since October 1, 17 terrorists have been “neutralized” in various encounters in the Valley, according to Jammu & Kashmir Police, amid a spate of attacks on civilians. This month, five migrant workers were among the 11 civilians killed in the region. In addition, a soldier was killed in an anti-insurgency operation.
In the words of Amit Shah:
The government aims to ensure that no civilians are killed in the violence and that terrorism is eradicated from Jammu and Kashmir. Some people are concerned about security. Between 2004 and 2014, 2,081 people were killed, an average of 208 people per year. Two hundred thirty-nine people died between 2014 and September 2021.
“We’re not satisfied because we want to create a situation in which no one dies and terrorism is completely eradicated,” the HM was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. He stated that the time of marginalizing the people of Jammu has passed and that both Kashmir and Jammu will now be developed in tandem.
